Ever muttered to yourself, “Where the hell is the peeler?” while rummaging through a drawer full of gadgets you haven’t touched since 2014? You dig past novelty slicers and that gizmo someone swore would “change your life” until you finally find the one thing you actually need. If this feels familiar, your kitchen may be begging for a declutter. I’m Reshmi, baker-in-chief, and after years in professional kitchens I have opinions.
This is deliberately a personal list, not a universal rulebook. If a gadget earns its cupboard space in your kitchen, keep it. These are simply the things I reach for least.
9 kitchen gadgets I can happily live without
1. Garlic crushers
I find them fiddly to fill and annoying to clean. My preference is to flatten the clove with the side of a knife, peel it and chop it. A mug or another flat, sturdy object can do the flattening if you are not comfortable using a knife that way.
2. Pasta makers
Fresh pasta is glorious, but a pasta machine earns its space only if you actually use it. If yours has become a very expensive cupboard ornament, pass it on to someone who will.
3. Ice-cream machines
Some models need a freezer bowl chilled well in advance, which can take up a surprising amount of freezer space. If you make ice cream regularly, brilliant. If you do it once every three years, perhaps not.
4. Rice cookers
I normally cook rice in a saucepan, so a dedicated machine is unnecessary for me. Plenty of cooks love rice cookers, particularly when they make rice frequently, so this one is firmly personal preference rather than culinary law.
5. Tortilla and chapati makers
A rolling pin does the job in my kitchen and takes up very little room. Your first chapatis may look like maps. They will still taste good.
6. Pizza wheels
I usually reach for a knife or kitchen scissors. They are already in the drawer and work perfectly well for the pizzas we make at home.
7. Cake knives
You do not need a special knife simply because the thing being sliced is cake. A suitable clean kitchen knife is usually enough. For very tall or delicate celebration cakes, of course, use whatever gives you the cleanest, safest cut.
8. Manual flour sifters
I prefer a normal sieve. It holds plenty, is useful for much more than flour and is straightforward to wash.
9. Hand-cranked egg whisks
A fork is enough for a couple of eggs, while a balloon whisk or electric mixer covers the jobs where I need more aeration. The old hand-cranked whisk therefore tends to sit untouched.
What deserves a place in your kitchen is ultimately determined by how you cook. A supposedly essential gadget that never leaves the cupboard is clutter; a supposedly unnecessary one that you use every morning is not.
And when I say “bin”, I mean gift, donate, sell or recycle where appropriate rather than sending a usable object to landfill.
Love,
Reshmi xoxo
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